PARMA HEIGHTS, Ohio — Parents and students are demanding changes to school security before they can feel comfortable returning to class, following a student taking her life at Valley Forge High School on Monday.
RELATED: Student dies from self-inflicted gunshot in Valley Forge High School cafeteria
High school freshman Alexis Kohut was in the school's cafeteria when the gunshot went off, but she said she didn’t hear it.
“She says, 'Run.' I didn't know what to think because, like, I didn't know what was going on,” said Kohut.
Her best friend, Sheida’lese Santana, was on her way to meet her when she was pushed out the doors by other students who told her to go outside.
“All I heard is, 'There's a gun.' Someone's in the- someone's in the school with a gun,” said Santana.
Santana called her mother, Brenda Corchado, who was trying to piece everything together through the messages she received from her daughter. She immediately rushed to the school.
“I look at my message, and it's hard, because it's your daughter saying, 'Mom, I'm scared. There's everybody screaming. I'm scared,'” said Corchado.
Now, just days after a student took her life in the middle of the cafeteria, they are expected to return to class, but Kohut and Santana don’t feel comfortable going back.
“I just think it's just not safe. Like, I'll never feel safe again,” said Kohut.
They say that in order to return, they need at least to see security changes put in place.
“Increased security like my mom said metal detectors, maybe even clear backpacks,” said Santana.
“We need to start with at least metal detectors and do something about providing real mental health support for these children,” said Corchado.
On Tuesday, a petition was created demanding funding for metal detectors. It already has more than 1,300 signatures. We also asked officials about it during a press conference.
They responded with the following:
“Metal detectors and any other suggestions or comments that have been made are all part of our review of this incident and any incident going forward. We’ll discuss that… and we’ll discuss that with our partners to see if this is a viable solution or what other solutions we should pursue and certainly train with,” said Parma Heights Police Chief Steven Greene.
There’s no strong research showing that metal detectors alone improve overall school safety, but experts with the National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO) said they can still be beneficial.
“We do all kinds of things that- that are major entrances, whether it is weapons detection and our metal detection, our video surveillance or whatever it is we want to do. And those are all helpful. But if we don't have the rest of the building properly secured, then we can unintentionally create a sense of false security,” said Mo Canady, executive director of NASRO.
For parents and students, meaningful change is necessary for them to ever feel safe again.
“Give me an actual plan. What are we doing? How are you going to repair that trust with us? And I'm not blaming the school, but there are so many things that fell through the cracks,” said Corchado.
At the conference, Superintendent of the Parma City School District, Dr. Scott Hunt, said once students return to school on Friday, there will be an increased staff and security presence, along with access to mental health services for students and staff.
"I would remind everyone, parents, students, community members, if you see something, say something," Hunt said. "We can't intervene if we don't know if there is a crisis happening."
We also reached out to the school district and the school board regarding metal detectors and have yet to hear back.
There is a school board meeting tomorrow at 5 p.m. at Normandy High School that parents are planning to attend.
